over my head.

Here I sit, at the design conference I've been looking forward to for a loooong time, and all I can say is the same thing I say every time I go to one of these things:

I hate networking.

I'm terrible at it.

And, this time, I even came prepared. I brought my business cards and prepared myself for the first "networking session"-- I memorized some basic small talk (ironically, some of the same information we were told never to give away as children: name, hometown, job description, hobbies). Yet one step into the convention center proved to me what I already knew was true: networking doesn't work. Not for me.

I'm sure for some people, a flick of the business card and a quick "How do you do?" may spark meaningful conversation, or, if nothing else, a few new professional contacts.

Not the case for little ol' me.

I walked right into HOW 2009 confident, ready to take the design world by storm. Then I heard the voices. Hundreds. Then I saw the mini tables, with people surrounding them, yelling just to be heard. I smelled the cheap wine and took some pretzels (which I hate).

And I turned around.

I had been ready to try, but quite frankly, it's a waste of time.

Tomorrow morning at the breakout sessions, I'll be more than happy to introduce myself, and tell little bits and pieces of who I am.

But I am not going to fight my way through the crowds to produce a business card that will wind up in the bottom of someone's goody bag.

So here I sit, blogging about it all.

And if that makes me a loser, oh well.